[BluesBud]

27th IBC Results!!!
The winners of the band competition for 27th IBC are:

1st Place: The Lionel Young Band (Colorado Blues Society)
2nd Place: The Mary Bridget Davies Group (Kansas City Blues Society)
3rd Place: Rob Blaine's Big Otis Blues (Windy City Blues Society)

Rob won the Best Guitarist Award which is a custome Gibson 335 and a Category 5 amp.

Stephane Bertolino won the first ever Best Harmonica Player Award presented by Lee Oskar. Stephane is in the French band AWEK, sponsored by Blues Sur Seine.

The Solo/Duo results are:

1st Place: George Schroeter & Marc Breitfelder, from Germany, sponsored by Baltic Blues.

2nd Place: Harrison Kennedy, representing Canal Bank Shuffle in Ontario, Canada.


BLUES FOUNDATION AWARDS GERMANY’S GEORG SCHROETER & MARC BREITFELDER AND COLORADO’S LIONEL YOUNG BAND WITH TOP HONORS AT 27TH INTERNTIONAL BLUES CHALLENGE
[Memphis, Tenn.] The Blues Foundation's 27th International Blues Challenge ended on Saturday February 5th, 2011 with two packed shows at the Orpheum Theatre. Out of 220 acts from 40 states and 13 countries that competed for top honors throughout the weekend only two can be called winner in the solo/duo and band competition.

For the second consecutive year a non-American act won the solo/duo category thus solidifying the global scope of the event. The solo/duo winner was Germany’s Georg Schroeter & Marc Breitfelder, sponsored by the Baltic Blues Society in Eutin, Germany. The second place honors went to Canadian Harrison Kennedy from the Canal Bank Shuffle in Thorold, Ontario, Canada.

For the first time in event history, the top prize in the band competition goes to a former solo/duo category winner. 2008 IBC solo/duo winner Lionel Young returned with The Lionel Young Band to win on behalf of the Colorado Blues Society. Second place honors were earned by Mary Bridget Davies of the Kansas City Blues Society, and the third spot went to Rob Blaine’s Big Otis Blues hailing from the Windy City Blues Society.


Another event first was the bestowing of IBC’s Best Harmonica Player. Yet another international participant, Stephane Bertolino from the French band AWEK, won for Blues Sur Seine.

The Best Guitarist Award was given to Rob Blaine of Rob Blaine’s Big Otis Blues. He walks away with beautiful blue custom Gibson guitar featuring The Blues Foundation's logo and a Category 5 amp.

In the Best Self-Produced CD contest, the judges crowned ‘Get Inside This House’ by Joe McMurrian of the Cascade Blues Association in Portland, OR.

The finalists in the solo/duo category were: Back Porch Stomp –(Washington Blues Society, WA), Izzy & Chris (West Virginia Blues Society), The Juke Joint Devils (Massachusetts Blues Society), The Mighty Orq (Houston Blues Society, TX), Big Jim Adam & John Stilwagen (Colorado Blues Society) and JT Blues (Billtown Blues Association, PA).

The finalists in the band competition were: Randy Oxford Band (South Sound Blues Association, WA), Stevie J & the Blues Eruption (Central Mississippi Blues Society, MS), Grand Marquis (Topeka Blues Society, KS), Alex Wilson (Grafton Blues Association, WI), The Sugar Prophets (Illinois Central Blues Club),

Blues societies all over the world will soon be starting all over again as they begin their own competitions to determine who they will send to the 28th International Blues Challenge, the finals of which will be staged January 31-February 4, 2012.

[Source]
http://www.blues.org/#ref=index

[BluesBud]

Congratulations to Harrison Kennedy

International Blues Challenge in Memphis

2nd Place:Solo/Duo

Harrison "Sweet Taste" Kennedy, from Hamilton, Ontario, representing Canal Bank Shuffle in Ontario, Canada.

http://www.harrisonkennedy.ca/

[BluesBud]

This Year's Blues Grammy Winners


Best Traditional Blues Album Winner

Joined At The Hip [Telarc]
Pinetop Perkins & Willie 'Big Eyes' Smith


Giant [Alligator]
James Cotton

Memphis Blues [Mercer Street Records]
Cyndi Lauper

The Well [Alligator]
Charlie Musselwhite

Plays Blues, Ballads & Favorites [Shout! Factory]
Jimmie Vaughan


Best Contemporary Blues Album Winner

Living Proof [Silvertone/Jive]
Buddy Guy

Nothing's Impossible [E1 Music]
Solomon Burke

Tribal [429 Records]
Dr. John And The Lower 911

Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook [ANTI-]
Bettye LaVette

Live! In Chicago [Roadrunner/Loud & Proud Records]
Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band Featuring Hubert Sumlin, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith,
Bryan Lee, And Buddy Flett

[BluesBud]

2011 Juno Blues Nominees

BLUES ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Electro-Fi*Outside
FATHEAD
Where’s The Blues Taking Me

Fathead may be the best blues and roots band to come out of Canada since Ronnie Hawkins hired the future-band to become his backup group, The Hawks, in the mid-1950s. An ultra-tight ensemble, Fathead brings together some of the country’s most respected musicians to create an energetic blend of funk, soul and rockin’ blues. Real Blues magazine referred to the group’s harp and guitar-dominated sound as “one of those rare, much sought after, but seldom achieved, chemical/spiritual reactions that happens when all the right ingredients come together: talent, personality, humour, united vision and a little bit of hoodoo/voodoo.” The Toronto Star praised “If the blues were a sports league, Fathead would be the equivalent of an all-star team,” FATHEAD’s latest CD WHERE’S THE BLUES TAKING ME is the crown jewel in the band’s seven CD catalogue thus far and creates a fresh sound that is immediately recognizable as their own. This show-stopping group has previously been awarded two JUNO Awards. They have a ball wherever they play and it shows!

Dog My Cat*SRI
Harry Manx
Bread And Buddha

Harry Manx has been dubbed an “essential link” between the music of East and West, creating musical short stories that wed the tradition of the blues with the depth of classical Indian ragas. He forged this distinctive style under a rigorous five-year tutelage with Vishwa Mohan Bhatt in India. Bhatt is the inventor of the 20-stringed Mohan Veena, which has become Harry’s signature instrument. Manx’s Indo-blues hybrid is a direct byproduct of the nomadic life he has led. Born on the Isle of Man, Manx spent his childhood in Canada and left in his teens to live in Europe, Japan, India and Brazil. He is a prolific artist, releasing 10 albums in a 10-year span. Manx has received six Maple Blues Awards, five JUNO Award nominations, the Canadian Folk Music Award in 2005 for Best Solo Artist and won CBC Radio’s Great Canadian Blues Award for 2007. Blend Indian folk melodies with slide guitar blues, add a sprinkle of gospel and some compelling grooves and you’ll get Manx’s unique “mysticssippi” flavour. It’s one that is hard to resist, easy to digest and keeps audiences coming back for more.

Black Hen*Fontana North
Jim Byrnes
Everywhere West

Jim Byrnes’ fourth album for Black Hen Music, finds Jim collaborating once again with producer Steve Dawson. Jim and Steve have worked together on all of his award-winning albums in the last decade. Jim’s bluesiest album in years Everywhere West includes raw and stripped-down takes on classic material and some originals by Jim himself. While he has been focussing on gospel-oriented blues for his last two albums (the JUNO Award-winning House of Refuge and 2008’s My Walking Stick), Everywhere West brings him back to the music of his youth, with some of the greatest performances of his career on songs by Jimmy Reed, Lowell Folsom, The Mississippi Sheiks, Tampa Red and many more. Jim and Steve’s collaborations have resulted in three JUNO Award nominations, a JUNO Award win, as well as many awards at the Western Canadian Music Awards, The Canadian Indie Awards, The Maple Blues Awards, and the Canadian Folk Music Awards.

Pour Soul*Independent
The Johnny Max Band
It’s A Long Road

To listen to Johnny Max tell it, and to watch Johnny Max present it, you understand very quickly that there’s more to creating great music than simply performing a first-rate piece of music well. It’s much more all encompassing than that. Johnny’s take includes engaging the audience, making his show accessible. He wants to more than simply feed off the audience, he looks to make them part of the experience. And he does so with his good natured wit. Johnny’s music doesn’t always follow conventional Blues lines. Rather than be confined to the traditional 12 bar influenced forms, this veteran of the musical wars favours substance rather than convention. Reasoning that “it’s all Blues”, Max opts for the feeling in what he characterizes as “music to move your groove by”.

Black Hen*Fontana North
The Sojourners
The Sojourners

The Sojourners return with their second album in two years. Produced once again by JUNO Award-winning producer Steve Dawson, their new self-titled album The Sojourners packs more energy and excitement into their recordings than ever before.

[Info from 2011 Juno website]

[BluesBud]

BLUES NEWS

Some sad news this past week as one of the true greats of the Blues has passed. The Great Joseph William “Pinetop” Perkins, born Mississippi July 7, 1913 died Austin Texas March 21 at age 97.

One of the last pre-World War II Bluesmen. Boogie-Woogie pianist Pinetop Perkins backed many in the blues, including Sonny Boy Williamson and was a long time member of the Muddy Waters Band. With a style that has influenced three generations of piano players.

As always in the Blues, we may lose some of the greats but the music endures forever.

http://www.pinetopperkins.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinetop_Perkins

Some Videos to remember Pinetop Perkins

http://www.google.ca/search?q=Pinetop+P ... d=0CGcQqwQ

[BluesBud]

Congratulations to 2011 Juno Winner Jim Byrnes

BLUES ALBUM OF THE YEAR
"Everywhere West" Jim Byrnes [Black Hen*Fontana North]

[BluesBud]

Downchild Blues Band

Grand Theatre, 218 Princess Street, Kingston ON

Saturday, April 16 @ 8 pm; $40.00 + applicable extras



Forty years and sixteen albums on, the legendary Downchild Blues Band is a thread of gold in the fabric of Canadian music history. Led by founding member Donnie ‘Mr Downchild’ Walsh, they remain our premiere purveyors of jump and Chicago-style blues, the dues-payers for everyone who has followed them since they came together in Toronto in 1969.

http://www.downchild.com

Tickets available at Grand Theatre box office (613-530-2050 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              613-530-2050      end_of_the_skype_highlighting

http://www.kingstongrand.ca

Information: [email protected] (613-378-2736)

[BluesBud]

I will be on 101.9 DAWG FM in Ottawa this Sunday night. You can also hear it online through their website.

http://www.dawgfm.com/default.aspx

on 101.9 DAWG FM
"OBS DAWG'On Blues"
This week's theme - "Earth Day Blues"
this Sunday night - 8:00 to 8:40 pm

[BluesBud]

NEWS RELEASE



Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest announces 2011 line-up
(Please refer to http://www.ottawabluesfest.ca for ongoing up-to-date info)



For immediate release



Ottawa, April 26, 2011 – Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest organizers today announced the line-up for the 2011 edition of the festival. Here’s a snapshot of what has been confirmed so far: A Perfect Circle, Ben Harper, Billy Talent, The Black Keys, Buck 65, Blue Rodeo, Bootsy Collins, Caravan Palace, Death From Above 1979, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, Erykah Badu, The Flaming Lips, Infected Mushroom, Jennifer Hudson, Joe Satriani, John Butler Trio, John Fogerty, Peter Frampton, The Roots, Soundgarden, Steve Miller Band, The Tragically Hip . . . and more than 200 others, including Andrew Jr. Boy Jones, Arkells, Bedouin Soundclash, Big Sam's Funky Nation, Blue King Brown, Bluestone, Braids, Brothers Chaffey, Buck 65, Buddy Guy, Cage the Elephant, Callers, Cavaliers, Chali 2na, Cheap Trick, Courtyard Hounds, Danny Michel Band, David Clayton-Thomas, Dawes, Dennis Coffey, Diamond Rings, The Dirtbombs, Folklore Urbano Orchestra, Funky Meters, Galactic, Girl Talk, Girls with Guitars, Greenhornes, Harper, Huey Lewis and the News, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Jesse Greene, Jim Suhler, Jimmy Bowskill, John Primer, Josh Ritter, Justin Nozuka, Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, La-33, Leon Russell, Library Voices, Luyas, M. Ward, Manny Makris, Mark Kozelek of Red House Painter & Sun Kil Moon, Michael Powers, Mother Mother, My Morning Jacket, Nicole Atkins, Oli Brown, Paul Thorn, PS I Love You, Ra Ra Riot, The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band, Rise Against, Rosie Ledet, Sheep Dogs, Sierra Maestra, Skrillex, Smokin Joe Kubek Band featuring Bnois King, Spam Allstars, Tegan & Sara, The Beauties, The Sheepdogs, Theory of a Deadman, Three Days Grace, Trampled by Turtles, Wanda Jackson, and Yukon Blonde, among others. Visit http://www.ottawabluesfest.ca in the days ahead for more . . .



This year, the festival will span 13 days with 12 days of programming starting Tuesday, July 5 through Sunday, July 10—Monday will be an off-day for fans, volunteers and staff to re-charge their batteries—and re-commencing Tuesday, July 12 through Sunday, July 17. Festival organizers are expecting another year of great attendance while offering a dynamic festival experience, for what Billboard Magazine has ranked as one of the top-10 music festivals in North America.



Once again, Canada’s capital city will become a music Mecca during this two-week music extravaganza—drawing fans from far and wide. The festival site at LeBreton Flats Park offers a variety of food and merchandise concessions and is fully licensed. Tickets go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 30.



Please, see http://www.ottawabluesfest.ca for detailed performance schedule and ticket information.

[BluesBud]

News from last night's Maple Blues Awards

COAST TO COAST BLUES ARTISTS HONOURED WITH MAPLE BLUES AWARDS

Ottawa’s MonkeyJunk, Toronto’s Suzie Vinnick and New Brunswick’s Matt Andersen Win Multiple Awards
(January 17, 2012) – Canadian Blues Artist from Coast-to-Coast were honoured by their peers at the 15th Annual Maple Blues Awards gala in Toronto last night as a crowd of blues lovers gathered to celebrate Canadian blues at Koerner Hall.


Ottawa’s MonkeyJunk took three awards, including, Electric Act of the Year, Recording of the Year and Drummer of the Year (Matt Sobb). New Brunswick’s Matt Andersen left with awards for Entertainer of the Year, Acoustic Act of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year. Now based in Toronto, Saskatoon native Suzie Vinnick won awards for Songwriter of the Year and Female Vocalist of the Year. MonkeyJunk, Andersen and Vinnick have each had a very successful year with national and international touring and extensive radio airplay, giving exposure to their own talents and further promoting Canadian blues artists as leaders in the industry.


Long-time Toronto talent buyer Randy Charlton and blues scholar Rob Bowman presented the Blues With a Feeling (Lifetime Achievement Award) to veteran entertainer and guitarist Paul James. James has been performing for over four decades and is considered to be a Canadian music icon. Toronto Blues Society President Derek Andrews and Montreal Blues Society President Brian Slack presented the Blues Booster of the Year award, a very special Maple Blues Award honouring outstanding contribution to the Canadian blues music industry, to Liz Sykes, President of the Ottawa Blues Society.


Other highlights include British Columbia’s Sabrina Weeks & Swing Cat Bounce taking the New Artist of the Year Award, presented by performers and Maple Blues Award nominees Bill Johnson and Rita Chiarelli. Other notable presenters of Maple Blues Awards were Stony Plain Records Holger Petersen, Andrew Galloway of Electro-Fi Records, Borealis Records Grit Laskin, SOCAN CEO Eric Baptiste, and CRTC Vice-Chairman Tom Pentefountas.


Hosted by internationally recognized blues artists Shakura S’aida and Treasa Levasseur (both of whom gave stunning performances at the gala) the Maple Blues Awards included outstanding performances from Maple Blues Award nominees past and present, including Nova Scotia’s Joe Murphy, last year’s Blues With A Feeling Award winner Rita Chiarelli, Toronto’s Fathead, long time blues fixture Bill Johnson from Victoria, B.C., Ottawa’s MonkeyJunk, as well as the awards gala house band, The Maple Blues Band.

WINNERS OF THE 15TH ANNUAL MAPLE BLUES AWARDS



ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Matt Andersen

ELECTRIC ACT OF THE YEAR
Monkey Junk


ACOUSTIC ACT OF THE YEAR
Matt Andersen


MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Matt Andersen

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Suzie Vinnick


NEW ARTIST OR GROUP OF THE YEAR
Sabrina Weeks & Swing Cat Bounce

RECORDING OF THE YEAR
To Behold, MonkeyJunk


BLUES WITH A FEELING (Lifetime Achievement)
Paul James


BB KING INTERNATIONAL ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Gregg Allman


GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Steve Strongman

HARMONICA PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Carlos del Junco


PIANO/KEYBOARD PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne


HORN PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Chris Whiteley


DRUMMER OF THE YEAR
Matt Sobb


BASSIST OF THE YEAR
Alec Fraser


SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
Suzie Vinnick


BLUES BOOSTER OF THE YEAR
Liz Sykes